Is Ace Combat 8 Worth the Long Wait?
Seven years after Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, Bandai Namco's arcade dogfighter is back. Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve launches this Friday, October 2, on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (the Steam page lists Thursday, October 1), and Deluxe Edition owners get in first, with early access opening Monday, September 28 at 3pm Pacific. So, was it worth seven years? Yes, and you do not need to have played the last one to find out.
The early word is strong. As of last weekend, Metacritic had it at 86 on PC, 87 on PS5 and 90 on Xbox Series X. At The Outer Haven, Keith Mitchell gave it 4.5 out of 5 last Friday, September 25, and opened with the line every lapsed fan will recognize: "I waited years for Ace Combat to come back, and Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve reminded me exactly why I missed it." He goes further later on: "It's easily one of the best games in the series, and I loved damn near every moment of it."
What kind of Ace Combat this is
The series has always lived in Strangereal, a made-up world with its own nations and wars, and Wings of Theve is set there in 2029, ten years after the Lighthouse War that closed out Ace Combat 7. The twist is who you are. You start as a weapon systems officer in the back seat of Jan "Rex" Cope, a naval aviator whose exploits get turned into wartime propaganda under the name Wings of Theve. When Cope is killed in action, you inherit his role and lead Joker Flight off the carrier FCU Endurance. For the first time in the series, the story plays out in first person.
The flying itself has not gone soft. "Flying in Ace Combat 8 feels damned good almost immediately," Mitchell writes. "It's responsive, fast, and still proudly arcade-style." Director Kazutoki Kono's team has also loosened the old rules. You can damage an aircraft by hitting it anywhere, with no weak points to hunt, and you can order your wingmen to attack and fire their special weapons.
From the back seat to the front line
Do you need Ace Combat 7 first?
No. The ten-year gap between the games does that work for you. Wings of Theve is a new war with a new cast, and the best parts of the story, as Mitchell puts it, are about what a manufactured hero means to people: "Turns out the title isn't really about one pilot. It's about giving people hope." You will catch more of the world's history if you know 7, but you will not be lost without it.
The honest caveat is about taste, not lore. Mitchell writes: "I can definitely see the basic loop being an issue for someone who isn't already attracted to this style of game." He also flags that later missions can require trial and error to find the right plane and loadout. If you bounced off arcade flight games before, this will not convert you. If you have ever wanted to, this is the one to start on.
Our verdict
Buy it, start here, and go back afterwards. Pre-order and you also get a modern PC port of Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War (Steam lists it as a standalone app alongside a playable F-14A), which is the best possible homework after the credits roll. Then work backwards through the three we think matter most:
- Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies (2001), where Mobius 1 breaks Erusea's grip on the continent of Usea. The template for everything since.
- Ace Combat Zero (2006), a prequel to Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War about a pair of mercenaries defending Ustio from Belka in 1995. Free with your pre-order.
- Ace Combat 7 (2019), the Osea and Erusea war over a space elevator, now on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch. Play it last and the ten years between the games will feel earned.
